Archives for FUBAR

Some witnesses called it a tussle. Others described it as a tug-of-war. Ferguson Officer Darren Wilson testified that they were fighting over his handgun. None of the witnesses who testified, other than Wilson, could say exactly what was happening inside his police car, but by almost all accounts, Michael Brown was physically struggling with the officer through his open window moments before he was fatally shot on Aug. 9. Wilson blamed it on Brown, saying the teenager reached through his driver’s side window, hit him in the face, called him a “pussy” and grabbed his gun. Wilson told the grandRead More

Consumers across most of America will see their health insurance premiums go up next year for popular plans under President Barack Obama’s health care law. But it will take time for families to figure out the best bang for their budgets — even as a bigger political battle brews over the program’s future. For many people, government subsidies will cushion the hit. And there’s a new factor: Returning customers who are savvy about health insurance and prepared to shop for a better deal. Scott Joens of St. George, Utah, said he and his wife are facing premium increases of aboutRead More

Flames engulfed at least a dozen businesses in Ferguson early Tuesday and gunfire kept firefighters at bay after protests over the decision not to indict a police officer in Michael Brown’s death turned violent, despite pleas for peace from Brown’s family and others. Protesters smashed windows out of police cars and buildings, several of which were later looted and set ablaze, and officers lobbed tear gas from inside armored vehicles to disperse crowds in scenes reminiscent of the early days of unrest that followed the Aug. 9 shooting. But the violence that followed Monday’s decision to not indict Officer DarrenRead More

Chaos returned to the streets of Ferguson after a grand jury declined to indict a white police officer in the death of Michael Brown — a decision that enraged protesters who set fire to buildings and cars and looted businesses in the area where the unarmed, black 18-year-old was fatally shot. Monday night’s destruction appeared to be much worse than last summer’s protests, with at least a dozen businesses badly damaged or destroyed. Authorities reported hearing hundreds of gunshots, which for a time prevented fire crews from fighting the flames. Jon Belmar, chief of the St. Louis County police, saidRead More

Thousands of people rallied late Monday in U.S. cities including Los Angeles and New York to passionately but peacefully protest a grand jury’s decision not to indict a white police officer who killed a black 18-year-old in Ferguson, Missouri. They led marches, waved signs and shouted chants of “hands up, don’t shoot,” the refrain that has become a rallying cry in protests over police killings across the country. The most disruptive demonstrations were in St. Louis and Oakland, California, where protesters flooded the lanes of freeways, milling about stopped cars with their hands raised in the air. Activists had beenRead More

A St. Louis County grand jury met for 25 days over three months and heard more than 70 hours of testimony from about 60 witnesses — many of whom gave conflicting statements — before deciding not to indict Ferguson police Officer Darren Wilson in the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown, according to prosecutor Bob McCulloch. Here are some of the highlights from the testimony, released by McCulloch’s office Monday night: ___ A PUNCH TO THE FACE Wilson told the grand jury that he initially encountered Brown and a friend walking in a street and told them to move toRead More

A Missouri grand jury’s decision to spare police officer Darren Wilson from criminal charges makes his case the latest in a long line of police shootings that show the latitude that the law and the courts give law enforcement in using deadly force. The question for the panel that decided the case was never whether Wilson fatally shot 18-year-old Michael Brown, but rather whether the Aug. 9 killing constituted a crime. In declining to indict Wilson, the grand jury reached a conclusion that is far more the norm than the exception. “For a cop to be indicted and especially toRead More

The rhetoric is barbed, but Republican presidential hopefuls generally fell in line behind the voices of restraint in the wake of President Barack Obama’s order blocking deportation for millions of immigrants in the country unlawfully. Former Sen. Rick Santorum, a tea party favorite in the 2012 race, urged the Republican leadership in Congress to “use any means available to stop this unconstitutional attack on our liberty.” Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who once filibustered the nomination of John Brennan as CIA director in a dispute over surveillance of U.S. citizens, said: “I will not sit idly by and let theRead More

President Barack Obama is shrugging off Republican criticism of his actions to lift the threat of deportation from millions of immigrants living illegally in the United States. In an interview broadcast Sunday on ABC’s “This Week,” Obama said it was important that he act unilaterally to prioritize the deportation of criminals and recent arrivals and spare those who have lived here illegally for at least five years and have roots, including children who are American citizens. “Why we would prefer a system in which they’re in the shadows, potentially taking advantage of living here but not contributing?” Obama said inRead More

That’s not mistletoe. From new marijuana strains for the holidays to gift sets and pot-and-pumpkin pies, the burgeoning marijuana industry in Colorado is scrambling to get a piece of the holiday shopping dollar. Dispensaries in many states have been offering holiday specials for medical customers for years — but this first season of open-to-all-adults marijuana sales in some states means pot shops are using more of the tricks used by traditional retailers to attract holiday shoppers. Here’s a look at how the new recreational marijuana industry is trying to attract holiday shoppers. OLD-FASHIONED DOORBUSTERS Traditional retailers sell some items belowRead More